Retainer for storage-battery material



- W. B, STONE RETAINER FOR STORAGE BATTERY MATERIAL May 6 1924.

Filed Jan. 25. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 6 1924.

W. B. STONE RETAINER FOR STORAGE BATTERY MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25 1923 ZILF.\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\N\\ Ill-I'll UNITED sTa-ras rnrsnrosrlcs.

WALTER B. STONE, 0F WEBSTER, MQLGBUSETT S.

manna non sronaennarrnnv Merriam Application filed January 25, 1923. Serm1R'o. 814,781.-

To all whom) it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER B. Srons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Webster,-'in the county of W'orcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Retainer for Storage-Battery Materials, of; which the T following is a specification.

This invention relates to a storage battery and particularly to, an improved material retaining'device for use therein. Such a retainingdevice should have two very important functions, namely, to assist in supporting and retaining the active material of the battery plates and also to give free access of the electrolyte to the active material, without material] decreasing the necessary diffusion of the e ectrol terial in any part of t e plate. It should further permit the escape of gases produced in the body of active material during charge.

The retainer should preferably be of such material that it will outlast the plates with which it is used, audit is commonly a nonconductor of electricity.

It is the object of my invention to provide an improved form of retaining device for this purpose whichwill perform these important functions 'in a manner greatly superior, to any device heretofore used for this purpose.-

A second object is to provide a retaining device which may be economically manufactured and which will be strong and reliable in use.

A third object is to comiiine a pair of my improved retaining devices in a casing or containing envelope Within which the active material of a battery plate may be retained,

together with a suitable rid and connections to be embedded therein.

Preferred forms of my invention are shown in the drawings in which Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view showing my improved retaining device assembled with certain battery parts;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of my improved retaining device;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a artial perspective view ofv my invention em odied in a casing or envelope for a battery late;

.Fig. 5 'isa etail view of a slight modification;

e through the ma- Fig-i 6 is a detail perspective view of a. further modification; and

Fig. 7 is a detail sectionalview hkcn along the line 77 in Fi 6.

Referring to the drawings, my improved retainin device 10 is preferably formed of prises a series of horizontally extending hard ru her or similar material, and comtween the stri s 11 extend continuously'en- 1 tirely across t e plate from one edge to the 1 other and are arranged in closely parallel relation, as clearly s own in the drawings. These slots or grooves are not interrupted or diminished in depth where'they cross-the vertical ribs 12. These ribs 12 are left substantially intact and form connecting memhers which support the narrow strips .11 which are otherwise separated b the slots 13. The slots may be formed b sawing with a very thin saw or may be armed in any other convenient manner.

The retainin'gdevice when in use is dis-- posed with its ribs 11 adilacent the battery. plate 14, as indicated in ig. 1, and a thin wooden sheet or diaphragm 15 may be 1 placed against the ribs 12 on the opposite face of the retainer. With this arrangement,it will be seen that the ribs 12 have no contact with the battery'plates and that the electrolyte has free access to the active material throu h the openings 13 throughout the full wid th of the plates. The slots 13 are relatively narrow, so that the strips 11 will firmly support the active material in plates. The vertical ribs 12 and the wooden diaphragm 15 also form vertically extending passages at the back of the retaining device for conducting battery gases to the surface of the electrolyte.

11 is uniform over the entire surface of t e active material and is such that the pres- The relation of the openings 13 and stri sthe battery ence of the stri s does'not materially re- 'not shown) to form a receptacle or pocketor the active material' 19. Conducting strips 20 extending upward form part of a. suitable grid or other device embedded in the active material within the ocket, thus providing a connection to the attery terminal. WVith this construction, each pair of In Fig. 5, Ihave shown a modified form of retaining device in which the ribs or stri s 11 are disposed diagonally of the vertica ribs 12, insteadof horizontally.

In Figs. 6 and 7, I-'have shown another modification in which the saw cuts or ooves 21 extend partially into the ribs 22, t us affording even freer accessiof the electrolyte to the active material, aslindicated by the arrows in Fig. 7.

Having thus described certain forms ofmy inventionand the advantages thereof it Wlll be evident that changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art within the s irit and scope of my invention as set forth in the claim and I do not wish to be otherwise limited to the details herein disclosed but what I claim 1s:'-

A retaining device for the active material of a battery plate, comprisin aplurality of strips of thin material extending from'edge to edge of the device and separated by very ,narrow, continuous openings between adjacent strips, and a-plurality of spaced connecting ribs crossing said strips in'a different plane and at an angle thereto, said ribs being relatively widely separated and bein effective to hold said strips in closely spaced parallel relation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature. I

WALTER STONE. 

